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UNITED sTA'-rns PATENT lformen.

S. F. ATHERTON, OF FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

IIVIAfJI-IIN'IE. ,FOB SPLITTING HOOPS.

Specification o fLetters-Patent No. 28,048, datedlVIayfl, 1860.

.To all Awhom it 'may concern:

.Be it Iknown that I, S. F. ATHERTON, of Fitchburg, in the county of IVO-roesterand State of Massachusetts have invented fcertain Improvements in Machines for Splitting I-Ioops, of `which the following is a f.ull,.clear, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspectiveview of the inachine; Fig. 2, a plan of the machine, with the operating rolls removed; Fig. 3, a vertical-section through the table on the line X, X, of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, detached view of the splitting knife enlarged; Fig. 5, detached view of the triangular vblock 7L, enlarged and seen from beneath; Fig. 6 a view designed to illustrate the operation of the vibrating knife.

The first part of my invention consists in a new and improved method of causing the feeding rolls to move equally upon each side of the splitting knife as the hoop pole passes between them for the purpose of preserving the knife constantly in the center of the opening between the rolls. I am aware that this has been accomplished by other means before, but the joints and links employed were subject to such wear as soon to cause a frivolous motion of the rolls which soon rendered the machine unfit to perform accurate or good work. To obviate this difficulty I have devised a method of connecting the rolls together in which all wear of the parts may be compensated for and any lost motion be taken up at once.

It is known that the operation of splitting a stick by hand is facilitated by vibrating the knife from side to side as represented in Fig. 6. The second part of my invention consists in vibrating the splitting knife (or a portion of it) in imitation of the hand operation whereby a great saving of friction and of the power necessary to run the machine is effected.

In the accompanying drawings A is the table or bed plate of the machine; B, B the first pair, C, C, the second pair of feed rolls, D, D2 D3, D4 the rolls which take the hoops out of the machine after they are split. These rolls are all driven in the direction of their arrows by suitable connections with the shaft of the drum Gr. The rolls B, B are pressed together by springs F, F, and the rolls C, C', by springs E, E. The Shafts of the rolls D2, D3, run in stationary other suitable device.

bearingsand the rolls D, and'DJr `are pressed upto them by springsI,-I.

Immediatelybeneath therolls CVC and running loosely upon their shafts arewcol-V lars jA f-against which bear the bentlevers .gr g.whicharepivoted to the be'd'plate` at l and 2, the opposite ends of the leversfbearing against a triangular block or wedge 7L, which slides freely upon a rib 3` rising from thebed plate-the rib enteringa groove z' inthe bottom of the block. The block Yh, is held downaipon the-tableby a spring 7:: or The shafts of the rolls C, C, move in slots in the bedplate (5seen dotted beneath the collars f f, in Fig. 2,);and-as1either one ofthe rolls C, C', is pressed out by the entrance of a hoop pole its collar f presses against its lever g the other end of which bears upon the wedge h, and forces it in between the collars-and as the wedge 7L, is kept constantly central by its groove z' and rib 3, the rolls C, C', are kept equally distant from the central line, whatever may be the distance to which they are forced apart.

In order to prevent the parts from becoming loose by wear the wedge 71, is constructed (as seen in Fig. 5,) with a set screw m, in its rear side against the head of which the ends of the levers g bear-any wear may thus be taken up and the parts kept constantly in contact by operatino' this set screw.

The splitting knife is seen at 0, (Z, Figs. 1, 2 and t the latter being an enlarged view of the same detached. rIhe portion c or edge of the knife is set stationary in the bed plate directly in the central line passing between the rolls C, C', the upper end of this portion of the knife being carried by a suitable support L rising from the bed plate.

The rear portion (cl',) of the knife is detached from the front portion, but is pivoted immediately behind and in contact with it so as to support and strengthen it, at the same time that it can vibrate slightly from side to side. This vibration is effected as follows: p, is a lever projecting from the rear portion of the knife and borne by a spring Q against a toothed wheel r, upon the shaft of the roll D2 and thus as this roll revolves the rear portion of the knife is vibrated from side to side by which vibration the splitting of the stick is greatly facilitated as in the hand operation described and represented in Fig. 3.

The bearing surface of the rolls D2, D3 iS flat and may be roughened or fluted to cause them to take a surer hold upon the hoop, all the other rolls are grooved to suit the curved surface of the hoop or pole and are smooth in order to preserve the bark of the hoop or pole from being broken or bruised.

The above described machine is equally adapted to splitting either rattan or hoops. In the operating machine I propose placing the block h, levers g, and collars f, beneath the table of the machine out of the wayof the dust and grit which falls from the material.

The operationv of the machine is as follows-The hoop pole K, is inserted between the first pair of feed rools B, B', and is thence passed along to the second pair C, C, these rolls opening equally as before described upon each side pass the pole centrally to the stationary portion o, of the knife by which it is split, the vibration of the rear portion of the knife greatly facilitating the operation and diminishing the power required to perform it. The two halves of the pole pass out one upon each side of the triangular guide block T, and between the rolls D, D2 and D3 DA1 by which they are drawn out of the machine. In lieu of constructing the knife of two portions one only of which is vibrated, it may be made in a single piece and be vibrated .around an axis passing through the cutting edges, but the wear and grinding of the knife would soon throw the edge out of the axis of rotation and I therefore prefer the method which I have described above of making it in two pieces one of which is stationary.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters, Patent isl. The wedge h, in combination with the levers g operating as described for the purpose specified.

2. I claim the vibrating knife cl operating in the manner specied for the purpose described.

S. F. ATHERTON.

Witnesses:

THos. R. RoAcH, EDMUND MAssoN. 

